Oil prices in holding pattern ahead of Federal Reserve decision
By Colleen Howe
BEIJING, Dec 17 (Reuters) -Oil prices were range-bound in early Asian trading on Tuesday as investors worried about Chinese demand and awaited further market direction from a U.S. interest rate decision due on Wednesday.
U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude CLc1 was down 6 cents at $70.65 a barrel at 0112 GMT, while Brent crude futures LCOc1 fell 1 cent to $73.90 a barrel.
Prices were "weighed on by profit-taking after last week's 6% rally and a batch of disappointing Chinese economic data yesterday," IG market analyst Tony Sycamore said.
On Monday, prices fell from multi-week highs on unexpected weakness in consumer spending data from China, despite strength in industrial output, and as investors moved into a holding pattern ahead of the U.S. Federal Reserve meeting.
The Fed will hold its last policy meeting of the year on Tuesday and Wednesday, where it is widely expected to cut interest rates by a quarter of a percentage point.
The meeting will also shed light on how much further officials think they will cut interest rates in 2025 and 2026, and whether the central bank will scale back easing in anticipation of higher inflation under the incoming Trump administration.
Lower interest rates can boost economic growth and demand for oil.
Reporting by Colleen Howe; Editing by Jamie Freed
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